In addition to the marketing campaign, Hotels.com has upgraded its iPad app with features that tie in with its loyalty program. The app is available for free download from Apple’s App Store.

“The highest levels of mobile adoption rates are in America although other countries are gaining ground,” said Taylor Cole, director of public relations and social media at Hotels.com, Dallas, TX.

“We offer more than 20,000 exclusive last minute hotel deals on the app and continue to add features and useful tools for our customers,” she said.

“We continue to enhance the Hotels.com mobile booking experience.”

Personalized reservations
Hotels.com recently revamped its iPad app with a new customized home screen. The home screen of the app lets users view current and upcoming reservations and view their browsing history.

Hotels.com’s loyalty program Welcome Rewards is also included in the app to help users manage their accounts. Using a loyalty program is a great incentive for a consumer to not only download an app but also use it on a regular basis.

Additionally, consumers can access mobile-exclusive deals through the app.

Using GPS, the app locates the nearest hotels for users and tracks them through the different steps of booking a hotel room.

The app is also now available in Spanish and includes high-resolution photos.

In addition to the iPad app, Hotels.com also has apps available for iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7, Symbian and MeeGo devices.

Book on mobile
The Xtreme Booking 2 campaign is the second marketing effort from Hotels.com that focuses on showing consumers how fast and easy it is to book a hotel room during extreme conditions.

The campaign features a stuntman attempting to get through the crowd during the Pamplona Running of the Bulls.

The campaign includes social media efforts and display ads that encourage users to download the Hotels.com app.

Additionally, an interactive game that supports the campaign will be rolled out on Hotels.com’s mobile site and Facebook page. The game lets consumers compete against the Pamplona bulls by dodging obstacles on a race course.

Hotels.com has been ramping up its mobile presence recently after seeing an increase in consumers booking from their smartphones and tablets.

For instance, when the company rolled out its Windows Phone 7 app earlier this year, Hotels.com reported that 60 percent of mobile bookings were being made for same-day reservations (see story).

Additionally, Hotels.com claims that its mobile app has been downloaded eight million times.

As the online travel industry continues to become more mobile, it is important for brands to constantly update apps and sites to keep users on their toes.

“The Xtreme Booking 2 campaign follows a successful stunt we launched in 2011 where extreme athlete JT Holmes booked a hotel room while freefalling from a skydive at 15,000 feet,” Ms. Cole said.

“The response and enthusiasm for Xtreme Booking 1 was huge so we continued the concept, this time in Pamplona, Spain with Andy Bell who ran with the bulls while booking a hotel room on the Hotels.com mobile booking app,” she said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York